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This collection consists of documents relating to admiralty (marine law) cases for more than 132 different ships, several wharves in the Boston area, as well as general correspondence and papers for non-marine legal cases.

Identification:

MH 209

Series List

SERIES I. Ship Cases SERIES II. Wharf Cases SERIES III. Correspondence and Other Cases

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of documents relating to admiralty (marine law) cases for more than 132 different ships, several wharves in the Boston area, as well as general correspondence and papers for non-marine legal cases. It has been organized into three series. Series I. Ship Cases has been arranged alphabetically by ship name. Records include accounts, agreements, bills, bills of lading, case notes, crew lists, contracts, depositions, freight bills, insurance policies, interrogatories, invoices, letters, powers of attorney, protests, trial notes, towing accounts, vessel deeds, and writs. Series II. Wharf Cases has been arranged alphabetically by wharf name and contains accounts, bills of complaint, and letters. Series III. Correspondence and Other Cases contains correspondence with Sohier and agreements, bills, bills of lading, bills of sale, depositions, letters, indentures, insurance policies, invoices, notes, petitions, powers of attorney, testimonies, and writs for cases involving unnamed ships or non-marine cases.

Biographical Sketch

William Davies Sohier was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Edward and Mary (Davies) Sohier on March 13, 1787. He received his early education under Master Pemberton at Billerica, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University; he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and graduated with his B.A. in 1805. In 1808, he graduated from Yale University with a master's degree. He read law with Christopher Gore and was admitted to the bar of the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas in July 1808 and to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in March 1810.

In 1809 he married Elizabeth Amory Dexter (b. 1789). They had six children, Edward Dexter (1810-1888), Joseph Foster (1811-1817), Mary Davies (born 1817), William (born 1822), Elizabeth Brimmer (1823-1916), and George Brimmer (1832-1877). Sohier died in Cohasset, Massachusetts on June 11, 1868; his business affairs were resumed by his sons William and Edward D. Sohier.

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in Philcat. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Sohier, William D., 1787-1868

Boston Wharf Company

Foster's Wharf (Boston, Mass.)

Long Wharf (Boston, Mass.)

T Wharf (Boston, Mass.)

Admiralty--Law and legislation

Insurance, marine

Letters

Shipping

Ships' papers

Boston (Mass.)

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Copyright

Request for permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Manuscript
Librarian in the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum.

The Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Contributors

Processing of this collection was funded by a grant from the NHPRC (National Historical Publications and Records Commission).

Description

This collection consists of documents relating to admiralty (marine law) cases for more than 132 different ships, several wharves in the Boston area, as well as general correspondence and papers for non-marine legal cases. It has been organized into three series.